Pāhonoa te oro

*** **Monday, September 25th. T-Minus 93.** **7:15 PM.** The hallway mirror sat above a scuffed console table littered with unpaid heating bills and spare quarters. Cate stood in front of the glass. She wore a tight, ribbed black tank top that stopped an inch above the belt line of her low-rise jeans. A strip of bare, pale skin showed when she shifted her weight. She commanded the cramped space without trying, her posture relaxed but aware, exuding a sharp confidence that made the peeling wal